No, it’s not what you think. I didn’t get a job. I will most certainly write a post about my new position when I land one. Bloggers promise.

So where have I been?
Blogging on another platform. Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m not abandoning my loyal followers here nor the WordPress app (which I do love), but rather tryin’ something new. Experimenting. After all, the concept of For Hire is all about experimenting with social media.

That platform is BrightFuse, a social network with a build-in blogging platform. I like to describe BrightFuse as a sort of Facebook-meets-LinkedIn platform, a tee-shirt-and-jeans professional networking site. It’s more personal, more expression than LinkedIn, but not as bare-it-all as Facebook; basically, the concept is pretty similar to that of For Hire: Serve as an Attachment to a resume, reveal more about yourself, skills, talents, and interests than a resume can, showcase your personality, and keep your writing skills fresh.

Along with a blogging feature and in addition to the capability of creating a in-depth profile (think: LinkedIn), there are plenty of groups surrounding an array of interests and a Q&A feature (where you shouldn’t fear asking questions like, “Does my resume have to be one page” and “What should I wear to an interview?”).

From a blogging standpoint, I’ve found that a post from BrightFuse can warrant more responses and feedback than a post on a standard platform because you’re interacting with an interested and engaged audience from Day One (especially when, like me, you’re writing about getting hired and job-searching).

You can check out some of my BrightFuse posts here.

For more information
Betsy Fitzgerald-Campbell, VP Communications & Public Affairs
617.868.6718
Betsy.fitzgerald-campbell@alz.org

Night at the Pops Benefits Alzheimer’s Association

BOSTON (May 26, 2010) — A gala night with the Boston Pops will benefit programs and research of the Alzheimer’s Association.  “Red, Hot and Thirty, An Evening with Cole Porter,” the Alzheimer’s Association’s 30th anniversary celebration at the Pops is set for Wednesday, June 9.  The Pops performance of Cole Porter classics with Keith Lockhart conducting starts at 8 p.m., but the 1930’s themed gala begins at 5:30.

NewsCenter 5’s Gail Huff, who lost her grandmother to Alzheimer’s disease in early 2003 at age 100, returns as honorary chair for the eighth year in a row.  Alzheimer’s Association board member Kathy Simon of Medfield is event chair.

The event recognizes the 30th anniversary of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. The local chapter was one of four founding chapters of the national Alzheimer’s Association and remains a leader in innovative education, research and public awareness programs.

“We do not yet have a cure, but we are optimistic about the research that is being conducted,” said James Wessler, President/CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter.  “We are so grateful to the dedicated volunteers who organize events like the Night at the Pops, because they are helping us fight this disease.”

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.3 million Americans have progressive, fatal disease. It is the sixth leading cause of death of adults.

The evening begins with a cocktail and buffet reception and live auction.  Tickets are $235 each for floor seats or $1,100 for a table of five.  Proceeds benefit the research and programs of the Alzheimer’s Association. For more information visit www.alz.org/MANH or call 617.868.6718. ##

Photo Credits: http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/programs/maslow.png

There comes a point in some job seekers’ search when they’re delivered the unfathomable (and absolutely dreaded) news: Your unemployment has run out.

“Ma’am, I’m so sorry to tell you this, but your unemployment has run out,” she tells me over the phone, after I had to wait an upwards of an hour to talk to a person (and not a computer). My fear of this scenario actually coming true replays in my head from time-to-time.

“Ummm, what do you mean run out? I was told I had until September, and then come September, if I am still unemployed, I could probably re-file then.”

“Well whoever told you that was wrong. Check back with us though, we are waiting for Congress to pass something and then you might be able to get more money. But for now, just keep checking our website and watch the news. I’m so sorry.”

“whhhhh But I ehhhh don’t get it. whh whhhh Why? whhhh What about the Federal package?”

“You’re on the Federal. The money has run out. There’s none left. I’m so so sorry.”

“Yep. (audible gasp of air, holding back a tear) Thank You.”

Luckily, when my fear came to life and I had this very conversation with a woman at the Department of Unemployment Assistance yesterday, the information she had provided me with ended up being the wrong information. I do, in fact, have some time left to continue to claim benefits–but this, I didn’t find out for a few hours after talking with the woman, when I went to the Department for a further explanation and for any sort of available guidance, advice, and/or support. And I must admit, these were a few very rough hours–and put things into perspective. Things that are at the very foundation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

What happens if I don’t find a job before unemployment is up? I refuse to settle for just any job–and stand by my previous posts explaining my search for a satisfying job (See Zen and the Art of Job Identification and I Don’t Really Like Sitting Still). But, let’s face it, I need some sort of monetary help to support my current life, to meet those needs at the base of Maslow’s pyramid: Food, shelter (my rent). Monetary support even plays a role in supporting my job search: I need to pay my Verizon bill to continue internet and telephone service, to communicate with potential employers, to search for jobs, and to brand myself; I need to pay my NStar bill to continue my electrical service, which powers my computer, my phone charger, and lights. I think we all get my drift here…

Financial advisors always say to have a back-up fund in the case of these kinds of emergencies–a “what if” account. I’ve seen a lot of articles with this sort of advice published across a spectrum of women’s mags these past couple of years. But what I haven’t found much of is articles giving advice to those who never had the chance–or the income–to actually save any money in this sort of “what if” saving account. “Everyone is broke when they’re 25,” someone once told me. “Living paycheck-to-paycheck,” I responded, “is a lot different from being broke and having nothing coming in.”

I’m savvy and I have complete confidence in myself, so if I ever really do find myself in this position, I know that I will figure something out (As Maslow would say, that is my Esteem). And I know that I have my family and friends there to support me–perhaps not monetarily but certainly for meeting certain Maslow needs (shelter, food, emotional support…). (And, according to Maslow, my family and friends are my Love/Belonging.) What would you do? How does one effectively balance her goal of career satisfaction (Self-Actualization, says Maslow) while worrying about her Physiological and Safety (both Maslow) needs?

As I continue to re-read one of my favorite and most influential books, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I continue to find parallels between Robert M. Pirsig’s text and my search for a satisfying job for which I am passionate. Here’s the latest:

“This inner peace of min occurs on three levels of understanding… But value quietness, in which one has no wandering desires at all but simply performs the acts of his life without desire, that seems the hardest.”

And as I’ve said before, that’s one thing I don’t want in my job–or in my life. I don’t want to do my job Because I have to but Because I want to. And I certainly don’t want to just go through the motions.

“You have entered AMSTIGER World,” reads the home page of this AngelFire.com Web Page. AMSTIGER was the student-started and -run newspaper at Amherst Middle School, and it was available both in print and online. Those of us pictured above were the founding members. I’m pretty sure it folded after five issues (most are posted on the site)–that’s when we moved on to 8th grade. When you scroll further down the Web Page, you’ll find a letter from our Chief and Fellow Seventh-Grader Nick Baer:

Thank you for coming to AMSTIGER online. First, let me tell you about AMSTIGER. AMSTIGER is a student-started, student-run school newspaper for the entertainment and socialization of Amherst (NY) Middle School students.

Note the last half of that paragraph, especially the word socialization–I guess I’ve been involved in the social media scape for longer than I thought!

As I look at this picture, read my “articles” (which are a testament to the improvement of my writing!), and skim through the Guestbook (last signed in June 1999), I find it interesting to think about what we were thinking about, how we were using and adapting to technology, and our reasonings behind our strategies. Why did we even decide to put the newspaper online? Why did we create a newsletter mailing list and a Guestbook (early forms of social media)?

We didn’t know we were interacting in the space that is now–twelve years later–the social media space; and we didn’t know we were helping to build and shape part of it either. We didn’t know how big of an impact the Internet would have on our daily lives and routines. Words like Googled, Facebook, tweet, and apps had yet to enter our vocabulary. But we did know that our classmates loved dialing on to AOL after school (most of us had a 30-minute time limit until homework was finished) and that they would love to read AMSTIGER online.

I’ve decided to end today’s post with a humbling article of mine, below, from The November 18, 1998 3rd Issue of AMSTIGER.

So, who’s going to be the first one in 11 years to sign AMSTIGER’s Guestbook?

SPORTS

AMS Winter Sports
by Khrista Trerotola

At Amherst Middle School, we have a variety of sports to choose from. Many of the sports are only available to private schools at our age level. With fall sports just ending a few weeks back, it’s time to kick off the winter with a new sport. This winter we have some exciting sports to choose from.

The girls can choose from co-ed swim team or girls basketball. For swim team, the coaches divide you into an A and B team, but everyone practices together. For the basketball team, the coaches usually divide you into an A and B team or split you up by grade level.

For boys, the choice is co-ed swim team, boys basketball, or wrestling. Basketball is divided by grade level, and wrestling is usually divided up by weight class.

This winter, the sports at Amherst Middle School will make the Tigers roar. Good luck to all athletes participating in sports this winter and supporting our school.

Also, for all you 6th graders out there, your turn to be on a winter sports team will come next year, but for now, don’t forget intramurals!!!

What I’ve seen unfold over the past 48 hours amidst Boston’s Water Emergency is a sense of unity that’s been created among people and communities–a unity that is beyond just living in the same city. The population has bonded over the “crisis”–they’ve shared the complaints of boiling water before brushing teeth, the frustration of going on a hunt for that freshly brewed Cup O Joe, and the good humor that this could’ve been something a lot worse, that we’re fortunate to have electricity, food, shelter, and even a backup water supply.

I can’t help but be intrigued by the role social media plays in this “crisis”–and how our innate human actions, reactions, and emotions have become so clear in our online (and, of course, offline) interactions. As the “crisis” unfolded, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs quickly kicked in; Online Boston buzz switched from the Red Sox, the newly released iPad, and creative campaigns (Self Actualization) to survival, water, and finding the basic human needs (Physiological).  In the Boston area, the now number-one and -two trending topics are #aquapocalypse and #H2OMG. (There’s also a ton of conversation surrounding the irony of Boston’s “crisis”: It’s National Drinking Water Week 2010, with the tagline, “Only Tap Water Delivers.”)

Social network users are looking for more than just some company for complaints; just as any other communication medium, they are using social media to warrant advice: Is it safe to do dishes? Where can I find coffee? What towns are offering bottled water? Which CVS is NOT out of water?

Nothing here is new–but it’s another reinforcement that human intuition and interaction is ever present in social media.

And I’m not offended in the slightest bit that she–technically–called me a Nerd. Besides, I call her an Accounting Dork.

Here are the questions that her roommate–who was on assignment for a class that she’s taking as part of her MBA curriculum–had asked me. And, of course, my answers.

Roommate (RM): Current position and responsibilities. How do you use social media? And, if relevant, for what types of problems or situations?

Social Media Nerd (me) (SMN): I call myself a full-time and very active job seeker, and am utilizing social media to leverage my industry-specific skills and brand myself as a “great hire” at a social media, marketing, and/or PR agency. My blog–housed on the WordPress platform–is my main platform. I use Twitter to leverage my blog postings and drive traffic there as well as to interact with industry influencers and tweet industry-relevant news and updates (and ultimately make network connections and land interviews). I also post new blog postings to my personal Facebook page and use that as a means to drive traffic to my blog.

Here’s an excerpt from my blog, For Hire, that better explains my goal behind my current role in social media:

Let’s face it: Looking for a job is monotonous and frustrating. And not really that much fun, especially in our current economy. A job search requires as much dedication as a relationship with a significant other or a full-time job–perhaps even both.

To me, a job–a career–is not just a way to “pay the bills,” but also something to be passionate about, something that’s challenging and rewarding, and something that brings me value. So, if my current job search is really my “job” at the moment, shouldn’t that, too, possess the same qualities?

This blog, this conglomerate of me, is an experiment–and one that seems, well, quite narcissistic. But it’s beyond being just about me: It’s about branding and marketing Khrista Trerotola as someone you want to hire. It’s about showing–not just telling in a cover letter–how my skills can help your company. (If I say I’m savvy with social media, wouldn’t you want to see it in action, in Real Time?) It’s about taking action and creating a more rewarding and measurable job search for me, and perhaps even setting a precedent for what constitutes future job searches in the social media space.

Follow my trials and tribulations in the world of job-searching and check back often to find reasons, examples, stories, etc. on why you should hire me.

RM: How did you get into social media?

SMN: I majored in feature writing (very similar to magazine writing) at Ithaca College and, after graduation, quickly got a job as an Editorial Assistant at a management consulting firm to the A/E industry, in the B2B publishing department. After quickly rising through the ranks to become the Editor of a publication, I found myself enjoying the more strategic aspects of being an Editor: Marketing, Planning, Interacting with clients, etc. Simultaneously, during my discovery, the economy was crashing and the publishing industry was drastically changing and relying more on new and digital media. I became fascinated with all of these changes and with the explosion of social media in the publishing sphere. This eventually led to me implementing and heading up the firm’s social media presence, which initially included a Facebook page and a Twitter account. I also educated my firm’s employees on the added value and benefits of social media. When I was laid-off, I opted to take an “apprenticeship” with a “social media guru” in Somerville, and learned SO much about social media and how to effectively leverage it. This was specifically when I found passion in social media and knew I wanted to pursue this career path.

RM: What are the key lessons, key success factors, and/or best practices to keep in mind when using social media? What seems to work and what does not seem to work when using social media?

SMN: Know your audience and on which networks they are likely to have a high presence. For example, all small businesses think they should be tweeting, but little do many small business owners know that they can actually make a bigger impact by having a Facebook page (and taking out Facebook ads).

Don’t jump into the networks. Listen and listen and listen and THEN respond. Examine the types of discussions, the language and tone used within the community, and other kinds of interactions. Make sure what you have to say brings value to your followers. Look for key industry people to interact with. Be consistent in all that you do.

RM: What doesn’t work and what should be avoided?

SMN: This is very dependent on the goals and scope of your social media plan and your audience. The big NO NO with social media, however, is to make sure to avoid activity that strictly self-promotional all the time. Obviously, some self-promotion is fine, but it must be balanced with value-added information and interaction with other community members.

RM: What is the future direction for social media in your organization  (if applicable)?

SMN: I am hoping that my “organization” folds soon (in other words, that I find a job), but as something to generally note, social media is not going anywhere. We’ll continue to see the very niche networks and communities fold or remain small, niche communities and the Big Five (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and MySpace) continue to grow and evolve. Location-based applications like Foursquare are the immediate future in social media and apps.

Social media empowers the consumer, puts the celebrity at a reachable level (via Twitter), and masks nothing (as we’ve seen with organizations–such as the recent crisis with Toyota–everything is disclosed in one way or another via social media). Organizations must also take into consideration how quickly things can go viral (and how that might now align with a company’s marketing plan). A recent example of this was when ****** ****** Corporate sent a regionally based e-mail blast regarding a promotion in certain franchise areas; a link was tweeted regarding this promotion and customers were citing it at other  ****** ****** locations that weren’t prepared.

“TIME? Time? Ha,” I snapped back. Actually, I didn’t really snap at all; but I did snap a little inside. (How dare anyone think I would waste my time doing nothing?, is what I thought.) “I actually do a lot. Tweet, blog, apply for jobs, search for jobs to apply for, follow-up on applications, follow-up on follow-ups on applications, network, keep up with industry blogs and news, work odd jobs (babysit, dog sit, house sit, social media consulting) to supplement my unemployment funds–and that’s basically to market myself as a stellar potential hire and to pay the bills. I also like to do other things: Workout, play tennis, write in my personal journal, read, do art, volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association, see friends.”

“Duh. I forgot that you don’t like to sit still,”  she replied. “Oh Khrista, you’re such a spaz.” We laughed as we strolled down Newbury Street arm-in-arm. She inherited some of our family’s spaz gene, too.

That's me (freezing cold) on a boat while crewing Elaine's English Channel Swim.

I’m not in the slightest bit complaining. (My biggest complaint is that anyone would think that I’d do nothing all day.) Sure, getting laid off in the midst of an economic depression is a total drag. And being “currently unemployed” gets real old, real fast. But I have no doubts and no regrets in how I’ve used my unemployed time: I’ve solidified my career goals and aspirations; I helped a friend raise money to swim the English Channel (she donated some of those funds to the American Leukemia and Lymphoma Society)–and was lucky enough to experience her swim first-hand as her crew member; I had an awesome “apprenticeship”/internship in which I learned so much; I was able to spend a little-more-time-than-usual with my family in Buffalo; volunteered for some causes for which I’m passionate; read some great books; and met some great people. But now: I am soooo ready for a full-time balls-to-the-wall job.

Can you guess which one is the second grade (maybe first grade) me?

I remember the first time I heard the term “Writer’s Block:” I was in second grade, sitting in front of one of our classroom’s two Macintosh computers. You know, those now ancient-looking ones that were a dirty tan color with the black screens that projected green dot-matrix images. Miss Grandoni, my teacher, had mentioned it in some sort of context to the girl next to me. I remember overhearing the definition. I stopped typing and was instantaneously overcome with “Writer’s Block.”

It’s suffice to say that I’ve never experienced a full-blown case of Writer’s Block, where one can’t write for days. Sure, there was that time in second grade, where my fear of Writer’s Block gave me that ailment for, um, five minutes.  And there’s been plenty of times I’ve struggled over constructing a story’s lede, and as a result, postponed writing what was to come next. And I’ve had instances where I’ve pondered over perfecting a transition into a new paragraph or a new topic. And this time, today, where I was having trouble deciding what to write about, so I decided to write about Writer’s Block.

I haven’t run out of things to write about, to discuss, to focus on; I have a little Moleskin with PLENTY of quickly jotted down ideas and thoughts I could blog about at any given time. And then there’s the ever-evolving social media space and whatever is new that day that I could write about. And the thoughts, ideas, and observations that are running through my head at any given moment always make for interesting posts.

I started jotting down ideas and thoughts in a notepad on that second grade day I learned of the ailment. (Although, then, it was in a Mead marble composition notebook (usually black-and-white, but hot pink-and-white or lime green-and-white if I was lucky).)  I’ve never mentioned the existence of “Writer’s Block” to the little girl I now babysit, who happens to be in second grade and aspires to be a writer. She also keeps a little notebook of ideas. And a “writing box” full of notebooks with finished stories, started stories, lists of adjectives, ideas for characters, “questions to ask,” and outlines.

TOTAL Blast from the Past: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

She’s more into poetry and fiction plots. I was all about reporting, non-fiction, and tying writing into overall activities–like the marketing posters and radio commercials (I had my own radio show that I recorded on my TalkBoy, popularized by HomeAlone 2: Lost in New York) for my handmade friendship bracelets and feather pens. I also had The Khrista Times, which usually included the headline, “NEWS FLASH: Khrista got an A!”

Sometimes I like to think that this little girl is the second grade me: She’s loud and spunky, funny, craves attention, and is creative in the same ways I was (I confirmed this when she wrote a book about her dog that not only had a Table of Contents, but also a bookmark holder complete with a bookmark to match the theme). It’s fun and funny and enlightening to hang out with the second grade me. We’re planning to have a “newspaper party” with some of her friends soon, where we’ll all create a newspaper (Perhaps we’ll call it The BFF Times?). No doubt, her and I will be the most excited ones in the room.

1. I love JetBlue. And, no, not just because I won a free roundtrip from yesterday’s Guerrilla Marketing efforts in Boston (that, might I add, trended #1 on Twitter’s Trending Topics for Boston (#JB10BOS)), but because I’ve always admired their non-traditional efforts in the very traditional airline space. JetBlue’s non-traditional efforts not only include their marketing, but customer service, customer-loyalty program, and perks.

In my college Intro to Public Relations class, we read a case study on Southwest Airlines (man I wish I didn’t sell back that book…), and I remember thinking to myself, “Southwest does some great PR, but I still looooove JetBlue.” A year or two later, I swore I’d never step back on a JetBlue plane after an early morning emergency landing and quite scary situation, but that quickly changed when I was mailed a voucher for $250. (I mean I wasn’t going to let that voucher go to waste….) At this point in history, JetBlue could not get a break; they were still dealing with crisis-control efforts surrounding massive delays and cancellations due to a President’s Day Weekend snow storm. But they figured it out, and created the now well-respected Customer Bill of Rights.

While some brands (both airlines and other brands, in general) now struggle to increase their visibility and interactions in the social media space, JetBlue was well ahead of the curve. They empowered the consumer and embraced the value of word-of-mouth marketing before social media exploded and changed the way consumers and brands interact. And they found the right demographic to target–the younger, family-centered or fun-centered consumer who could care less about Red Carpet Status, who thinks TV on a plane is great, and who appreciates a pilot with a sense of humor. It’s as if David Neeleman (the original founder of JetBlue) applied the mentality of a backpacker–not a business traveler–when creating the airline.

And for marketing efforts. Well, @JetBlue (1.6 million followers and counting!) does awesome handling customer service inquires. Their partnerships are well-targeted and well-thought out (Hotels.com!). JetBlue’s Facebook page interactions are through the roof. Progressive programs like JetPaws and All-You-Can-Jet 30-Day Pass are brilliant.

So a big CHEERS! and Happy 10th Birthday to JetBlue!

2. The May 2010 issue of Marie Claire has some great career-related advice in the article, “Success Secrets of 30-Something Moguls” (p. 112). Here are a few of the secrets that I liked:

p. 112, Secret #5: Find seasoned mentors–and use them often.

p. 114, Secret #1: Find a job you’d jump out of bed for. (Yes, they exist.)

p. 116, Secret #6: Be an idea machine.

I’m sitting in seat 7D, legs crossed, one hand holding the book, the other hand holding my pen. As the plane speeds down the tarmac and lifts itself into the air, I’m frantically underlining sentences, circling words, and writing notes in the margin–just as I did with any book I read in college. On page 32-33, I pointed this out, with a whole lotta underlines and stars:

“They were like spectators. You had the feeling they had just wandered in there themselves and somebody had handed them a wrench. There was no identification with the job. No saying, ‘I am a mechanic.’ At 5 PM or whenever their eight hours were in, you knew they would cut it off and not have another thought about their work. They were already trying not to have any thoughts about their work on the job. In their own way they were achieving the same thing John and Sylvia were, living with technology without having anything to do with it. Or rather, they had something to do with it, but their own selves were outside of it, detached, removed. They were involved in it but not in such a way as to care.”

Job identification. Pirsig couldn’t have pointed this out much better.

“Why?” I asked myself. “Why would someone not want to identify with their job? Why would you do the job just to do the job? And how could you possibly leave work and not think about it again until you returned the next morning?” Through Pirsig’s passionate prose, it’s pretty clear that he probably asked himself these same questions while facing–and recalling–this situation.

Identifying with your job is the first step to becoming passionate about your work. And, to me, my job search–my career search–isn’t about wandering in somewhere and randomly being handed a wrench. It’s about finding a position that I’ll have passion in–where I’ll delve myself into my work and its outcome, go above and beyond my tasks at hand, strategize and do and think and be creative and be savvy, where I’ll be much more than a spectator. It’s about finding a position with which I identify.